Oh, your pies are a work of art, Ann . . . and I'm sure they taste as good as they look :) I agree about letting the rhubarb shine in all its glory! I made a rhubarb meringue dessert on Sunday and it was gone so fast, it made my head spin. Thank goodness my plant is HUGE this year; the ruby red stalks are as thick as my granddaughter's arm (her name is Ruby, so everything that's red is referred to as 'ruby red' around here :) . . . and tender and so juicy ~ must be a good year for rhubarb!

Beth, a galette is just a more rustic pie. Open faced. You just roll out a bottom crust. Put the filling in the middle and then fold up the sides over the edge of the filling. Leave a hole in the centre. I use the same recipe for the galettes that I use for the pie. Rhubarb Pie Source: Madame Benoit Cooks at Home 1978 4 cups rhubarb, cut in to 1/2 inch pieces 2 eggs 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons flour pinch of salt juice of 1/2 small lemon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla pastry for two crusts 1 tablespoon sugar Roll out dough for bottom crust and line pie plate with pastry. Beat eggs lightly, and then stir in brown and white sugars, flour, lemon juice, salt and extract. Mix in rhubarb. Pour into pour in to pie shell. Roll out remaining pastry and cut into strips. Weave pastry strips over top and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake in a 450ðF oven on bottom shelf for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ð and move pie to middle of the oven. Continue baking for 25 to 35 minutes. Butter Lard Pastry Crust ================== 2 cups all purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup butter 1/3 cup lard (or shortening- Crisco) 5 to 6 tablespoons of ice water, or more as needed (note: if using for a sweet pie, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar.) Mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard. You can cut the butter/lard in using the food processor or with a pastry blender. Or you can use a box grater for the butter. Put flour mixture in bowl and add water mixing with a fork until pastry comes together. Form in to a ball and cut in two pieces. Form each into a round flat disc and refrigerate for 1 hour. NOTE: Can be made with all butter The secret to a good crust is to not over-handle the dough.

I've seen and heard of people calling rhubarb "pie plant". I kind of like that name. It's accurate. So many people give names to things that approach stupid and it kind of bugs me but I like that. My plant had great rhubarb but it was in the shade and died off apparently. I have to see if any of it is left. If it is, I'll move it. If not, maybe I can get some of the plant I gave to my neighbor. I haven't had rhubarb bread in years and I so enjoy that. I grew up being told to PULL, not cut rhubarb and Buddha help us if we broke a stalk off and didn't pull the rest of that stalk! They believed it would kill off the plant (it'd smother). From what I've read that's a myth and I believe that it is since I have friends who have always cut the rhubarb, being told that they'd kill the plant if they pulled it out by the roots. Here's a couple recipes I want to try. I had 2 or 3 other recipes for BBQ sauce but I can't find them now. They sounded great but I never got the chance to try it. The thing I like about these is they do not use ketchup so you avoid some unnecessary sugar and salt. Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce A slightly sweet barbecue sauce with a lot of tang. Great on grilled pork or chicken. Safflower Oil - 2 Tble Onion, diced - 1 cup Rhubarb, chopped (½” pieces) - 4 cups Light Brown Sugar - ¾ cup (lightly packed) Tomato Paste - ½ cup Bouquet Garnii - 2 bay leaves, 6 peppercorns, 1 dried chili, 2 cloves Dijon Mustard - 2 Tble Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 Tble Honey - 2 Tble s+p - to taste Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and sweat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until it is translucent and soft. Watch it closely to make sure it does not brown. Add the rhubarb, brown sugar and tomato paste and saute for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup water and the bouquet garnii, and bring the mixture to a low boil. Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until reduced and thick. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 30 minutes. Remove the bouquet garnii, then stir in the dijon, vinegar and honey. Puree with an immersion blender or food mill until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust the seasonings. Use as a baste for grilled pork or chicken. Serve extra sauce alongside for dipping. Keep leftovers, covered and in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks. Notes: I use safflower oil, because I prefer to avoid GM oils like canola and soy. I use a large tea ball to keep my bouquet garnii all together and in one place when I’m flavouring stocks and sauces. I found some extra-large tea balls at a market in Victoria’s Chinatown. You can also use a square of cheesecloth or unfilled tea bags (also available in Chinatown) A food mill fitted with the medium plate will produce a smoother sauce than an immersion blender. Preparation time: 15 minute(s) Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 30 minute(s) Yield: approx 3 cups Easy Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce 4 c. chopped rhubarb 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste 2 c. water 2 onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/3 c. brown sugar 1/4 c. honey 3 Tb. Dijon mustard 2 Tb. cider vinegar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black pepper 1/2-1 tsp. hot pepper sauce or red chili flakes (or to taste) Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring often (especially towards the end of cooking), until the rhubarb is tender. Blend until smooth using an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender or food processor to blend). Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for about a week or freeze for longer storage. Makes about 6 cups

I love love love rhubarb! So very sad to hear/see these; envy envy envy. Living in the South they just don't grow here - too humid in the summer for them to survive, not even for one year. What they offer in the grocery stores here are questionable because the produce manager has no idea where they come from - US, but not what State, nor whether wild or mass cultivated, and under unknown growing conditions. Would you like to trade some for organic blueberries or Black Mission figs or Asian pears? I can almost taste them - relying on memory of long ago Ohio as a kid where they would take over most of our little garden with their beautiful lush (but toxic leaves) and fiery red sour stems. A little sugar, a pinch of salt, some buttery crust. Do you see me drooling here?